About the Site

This site is an effort to explore one of the eternal questions of Judaism: why be Jewsh? While this question, and the answers it provokes, is by no means new, this site is hoping to bring new insight into the conversation. Although this 3,000 year old discussion has certainly spawned many answers over time, this site hopes to engage the current generation, millennial Jews, to find some answers for ourselves.

There are a couple of ways this effort is unique, and uniquely situated to engage with today's audience. While the question of religious identity is often phrased as, "Why be Jewish?" this site chose the prompt, "Why am I Jewish?". This change has two benefits. The first is that it emphasizes the personal nature of the question, and the individuality of the answers. "Why be Jewish" has a group implication, seemingly saying that there is one (or maybe more than one) answer that can work for everyone. By using the word "I", we hope to show visitors that they should expect to find an answer that can be unique to them. While there are no wrong answers to the question, there is a right answer for each person, and the right answer for one person might not be the right answer for someone else.

Secondly, just by reading the statement, "Why am I Jewish?" a reader sees the question as an imperative to engage in. There is no ignoring the impetus it places upon a visitor, and anyone who consider, "why am I Jewish?" will be forced to recognize whether or not they have their own answer to this question. "Why am I Jewish?" is not a question for other people, and it cannot be ignored. Soon , we will be launching a new effort where site visitors can begin to provide their own answers as they join this conversation, either in written form, or with YouTube videos.

As I mentioned, other people have examined this question before, such as in the book, Stars of David. This site is attempting to bring this discussion online, where it can mostly easily reach a new generation of Jews. And with more and more people in the millenial generation struggling with Jewish observance and identity, putting the question, "Why am I Jewish?" online leaves it just a mouse-click away. For people whose primary means of communication is Facebook and instant messenger, Why am I jewish?" can enter their conversation.

If you can have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the site, you can reach us at WhyAmIJewish@gmail.com

About the Site

Why Be Jewish, is one of the central questions of Judaism, compelling and evocative. Why am I Jewish is a website devoted to that question, bringing you the answers from a variety of notable people representing a broad swatch of Judaism.


By pondering this question, we hope to demonstrate how important it is to grapple with this question and the the answers found on this site encapsulate the great diversity of modern Judaism.